


The Looming Choice

by Marf_Redux



Series: Shattered Verse [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: characters adapted from other versions of voltron, making a choice about carreer prospects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22144036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marf_Redux/pseuds/Marf_Redux
Summary: Curtis thinks back on a offer he received of options to salvage his career.
Series: Shattered Verse [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1287422





	The Looming Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are disabled. I have my reasons for this and they are in my profile if you simply must know why. I tell you this so you will be forewarned in case you don't want to read fics that disable them.
> 
> Kudos are appreciated and thank you in advance to anyone who leaves them.

The Looming Choice

He laid on his too small bed in the Captain’s quarters of his ship and continued to debate the choice he’d been given by Sky Marshal Graham. It had all started a few days ago when he’d been called to a meeting on Earth with an official he’d never even heard of.

He’d stepped into the office wondering what shitty job was awaiting him now. Since he’d already been reduced to a Captaining a patrol ship. A posting that wasn’t going to go anywhere and now he’d been called back to Earth for a meeting with some random official.

After waiting a ridiculously long time the door had opened and someone said, “Sorry to keep you waiting.” A voice that turned out to belong to Sky Marshal Graham the head of the Galaxy Garrison Military Branch.

He had of course immediately stood at attention. “Curtis please be at ease,” Graham had said tiredly and then seemed to think about what he said. “is it alright if I call you Curtis?” He quickly said yes and saw a twitch at Graham’s lip as if he found this funny. “Now sit down so we can discuss what we are going to do about you and the shoddy way Sablan and those other Earth first idiots have sabotaged your career.”

“Forgive me sir but if your against their punitive actions why was it even allowed in the first place?” He was still amazed he’d had the nerve to say that. Since he wasn’t stupid and knew it was all about politics but he felt like making the Sky Marshal say as much.

“You already know why,” Graham had sounded annoyed. “The Earth First movement is primarily made up of the folks who were in charge before the Galra came who survived and the generation who is just now old enough to join the fight.” He had looked down at the papers on his desk. “They are convinced the Galra only won because of superior technology and now that Earth is leveling the playing field we could have won without being saved by others, a good fiction for moral and recruitment but everyone with half a brain knows it isn’t the truth.” He was still surprised at how candid the Sky Marshal had been. “The good news is that they are already starting to lose some support and it is my hope that now is the strongest those blow hards will ever be but until they are weak enough not to matter we have to play the game.”

“If that’s the case than how can you possibly get my career back on track?” He had asked knowing that Sablan probably still had it out for him. “I don’t think they’ll look the other way if you swoop in and give me the type of command I deserve.” He could tell his word choice bothered Graham but it was the truth he deserved a better posting than he’d received.

“I’m hardly going to swoop in and save your career I’m going to give you three choices and let you decide,” Graham had said looking directly at him. “The first option is that you ride things out on that patrol ship even if it isn’t the best posting you’ll still eventually earn a promotion to a better ship even if it takes a few more years than you’d like.” Graham had definitely not sugar coated things, “Of course that assumes I am correct about the way the political tide will go.”

The unspoken bit being that if he was wrong and it went the Earth First way then he’d end his career on this ship probably sooner rather than later. “So what’s the second option.” He had asked curious where Graham was going with this because it was clear that he wasn’t going to get any official support.

“That’s simple you leave,” Graham had said with a laugh. “I have it on good authority that very soon the Coalition will be asking for recruits from all member and allied worlds, something about unexpected resources turning up that create a lot of openings in their forces.” Graham had looked at the papers again, “You’d probably have to take a demotion but you’d be in a chain of command very likely to promote you based on your worth.” The Sky Marshal had frowned then, “But again it depends on the way things go here on Earth if our relationship with the coalition sours then you’d be in a difficult spot.”

He turned away from the memory in disgust knowing that no matter what option he chose it wouldn't be that one. He was not ever going to willingly put himself in a position of torn loyalty ever again. It had cost him too much last time. So he turned his thoughts to what Graham had said about the mysterious third option.

“The third option is simply this,” Graham had said. “You officially take a leave of absence from your command and this ship gets a new captain and assholes like Sablan think your career is over.” The Sky Marshal had smiled slightly. “Then unofficially you’ll be given command of a new experimental ship that I can’t tell you anything about to carry out a mission I can’t tell you anything about.” The Sky Marshal had started frowning then. “All I can say is that if it the mission goes well you’ll be able to pick whatever command you want when your done but if it goes bad you’ll probably die and you’ll be remembered as a wash out who couldn't take not getting the promotion you think you deserved.”

After that Graham had given him a few days to think it over and that time was rapidly running out. He had a meeting soon where he’d have to make a choice and he still wasn’t sure what to do. The safest option would be to ride things out because as unhappy as he was it was still a command post. The transfer to the coalition forces was not an option and he hated the idea of jumping into a blind mission. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this risky choice was his last chance to have the career he wanted. He’d lost out on so much the last few years his career was really all he had left. He just wasn’t sure keeping it was worth the risk associated.

The End


End file.
